Experience History

The exhibition concept

The Porsche Museum covers all the historical and contemporary knowledge relating to the Porsche brand, allowing everyone to experience the fascination of Porsche.

The exhibition guides the visitor through the company’s product history. The "Porsche Idea" has always inspired the company in its quest to find pioneering technical solutions to the fundamental challenges encountered in automotive manufacturing. It is based on characteristic attributes such as "Fast", "Light", "Clever", "Powerful", "Passionate" and "Consistent".

The prologue

Find out about the different milestones in the life of Ferdinand Porsche.

From the first construction of Ferdinand Porsche the 1898 „Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model“ to the electric wheel-hub drive of the Lohner Porsche to the startup of his own automotive manufacturing operations in Gmünd in 1948, the exhibition area „Porsche before 1948“ breaks down the activities of Ferdinand Porsche into individual episodes.

As well as various engines, it covers the "Sascha" Austro-Daimler and Wanderer W22 types. The final word in this prologue is reserved for the model known simply as "Number 1", the first prototype of the Porsche 356 from 1948. The exhibits represent the visions that have shaped the company.

The "Light" idea

Find out more about the core competence of Porsche - lightweight construction.

The power-to-weight ratio has always been the crucial factor in sports car manufacturing. For that reason, Porsche has always been committed to reducing weight and to lightweight construction principles.

The 356 America Roadster was the lightest Porsche of its time. The exhibition of racing cars starts here parallel in chronlogical order to the product history.

The "Clever" idea

Porsche seeks to respond to technological challenges with the best, rather than the quickest, solution.

Since 1971 the sports car manufacturer’s engineers have been developing and optimising technical solutions at the Research and Development Centre in Weissach. The focus is on the tradition of attention to technical detail first nurtured by Ferdinand Porsche. This theme is illustrated with the Porsche 356 B 2000 GS Carrera GT exhibit, which already featured a locking-synchromesh gearbox back in 1960.

The "Fast" idea

The central themes illustrating the "Fast" idea are aerodynamics and vehicle control.

Engine power alone is useless if it cannot be harnessed. From the very outset, Ferry Porsche therefore sought to make his cars both controllable and aerodynamic – and therefore faster.

The key technical exhibit illustrating the "Fast" idea is the Porsche 956, which is suspended spectacularly above the visitors’ heads. It demonstrates that a speed of 321.4 km/h (199.71 mph) is in theory sufficient to take off.

The "Powerful" idea

The thematic focus of this part of the exhibition is on high-performance engines and their design.

Porsche enjoyed unprecedented success in motor racing in the early 1970s. The Zuffenhausen company eclipsed all its challengers. This emboldened its confidence in its technical abilities.

Having long led the way in lightweight construction, Porsche now also started to build the most powerful engines. In motor racing this was the heyday of the Porsche 917, whose power unit is presented to the visitor in depth.

The exhibit is a flat-twelve engine stripped down to its component parts.

The "Passionate" idea

These cups are much more than just trophies. They represent special stories. Porsche stories. Every one of these victories has been a hard-fought contest. Triumphs in famous, notorious competitions that demand total commitment, and not just from the racing car. These successes also belong to the inventive engineers, the gifted mechanics and the superior drivers. The people who push the limits, and for whom motorsport is a passion. Porsche people.

Seven cups, seven stories, seven legends. Captivating triumphs, driven by Porsche racing cars in over 70 years of motorsport with more than 30,000 victories. Providing ruthless tests for the technologies before they are transferred from the race track to series production. After all, there is a racing car in every Porsche.

The "Consistent" idea

Get to know the characteristic features of a Porsche.

No other car in the world can boast such consistent design lineage as the 911. The "Nine Eleven" has enjoyed a distinctive identity stretching back across every generation and model year to 1964.

Taking the current 911 Carrera as the starting point, the idea of "Consistent" homes in on the defining stylistic traits of a Porsche. A Porsche sports car’s styling is fundamentally about concentrating on the essentials. This philosophy was handed down by Ferdinand Porsche to his son Ferry, and then to grandson Ferdinand Alexander.

Porsche Engineering

The trip through the history of Porsche also takes visitors to the thematic area of Porsche Engineering.

Ever since Ferdinand Porsche set up his engineering office in 1931, Porsche has provided an extensive range of technical engineering services to third parties.

Various unusual creations that one would not immediately identify as Porsche technology are also on show.

* Data determined in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) in accordance with the Euro 6 (715/2007/EC, 195/2013/EC and ECE-R 101.01) measurement method. The figures do not refer to an individual vehicle nor do they constitute part of the offer. They are intended solely as a means of comparing different types of vehicle. Fuel consumption calculated for vehicles with standard specification only. Actual consumption and performance may vary with items of optional equipment. A vehicle’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions depend not only on its efficient use of fuel but also on driving style and other non-technical factors. The latest Porsche models with a petrol engine are designed to operate on fuels with an ethanol content of up to 10 %. You can obtain further information about individual vehicles from your Porsche Centre. Consumption figures were obtained on the basis of standard equipment. Special equipment may affect consumption and performance.

Events

From August 3 until August 25, the Porsche Museum offers a children’s summer holiday programme with an exclusive sneak preview of „Playmobil: Der Film!“ on August 10 and 11. More information is available here.